Why Fellaini Is Vital

With Marouane Fellaini having turned his reputation around at Manchester United, Adam Bate looks at the story – and the stats – behind his renaissance under Louis van Gaal…

His previous return to Goodison Park must have been a low point for Marouane Fellaini. Booed by home supporters as he warmed up near the touchline, the Manchester United midfielder failed to make it onto the pitch against his old club as Everton ran out 2-0 winners one year ago this week. For David Moyes, the defeat signalled the end of his time in charge at Old Trafford.

With the man who’d spent £27.5million on him departing the club and little enthusiasm among supporters for his continued presence, that might also have been that for Fellaini. Indeed, when he was omitted from the squad for Ryan Giggs’ first game in charge – a cathartic 4-0 home victory over Norwich – things looked particularly bleak.

But events since have surprised many. Incoming manager Louis van Gaal has always been more tactical chameleon than philosopher-zealot and the man Jose Mourinho once described as “pragmatic” soon saw a use for the 6’4” Belgian. The 27-year-old has emerged as the team’s go-to guy when it comes to linking defence and attack.

'Unplayable'

United skipper Wayne Rooney has hailed his team-mate as “unplayable” and Old Trafford is now appreciating his efforts too – rewarding Fellaini with a thunderous reception when withdrawn late on following a typically powerful performance in the recent Manchester derby. British transfer record signing Angel di Maria is being kept out of the side on merit.

So how has Fellaini managed to turn opinion and results around? Importantly, while a handful on the pitch, it seems clear that the player is rather easier to deal with on the training ground. “He’s very professional,” Moyes told the Mail. “He will do anything you ask and all you’ll ever hear from him is a ‘thank you, coach’ at the end of a training session.”

Undoubtedly, that has worked in his favour with Van Gaal – a coach who demands a receptive audience. “I have heard a lot of stories about him but from the first training session he did what I asked,” said the United boss. “He was open and he wants to perform so I am not surprised.” He added: “Marouane always does the things that we want from him.”

What Van Gaal wanted was an aerial presence further up the field. Getting the ball in deep areas was the easy part for his United team - with over 60 per cent of possession this season, they rank among the top five teams in Europe - but breaking the lines was proving rather trickier. When opponents pressed them, United’s inexperienced defence was prone to buckle.

Aerial strength

Van Gaal needed an out-ball and with Fellaini winning 5.7 aerial duels per game, far more than any other midfielder, that’s precisely what he provides. “We like to play out from the back and if teams are pressing us then we have him as an option,” said Rooney. “He is probably the best in world football at bringing the ball down and getting us out of that pressure and further up the pitch.”

Van Gaal understandably bristled at suggestions that he is a long-ball manager. The Fellaini factor is more about bringing balance to his team. For while it’s true that United play 79 long passes per game (second only to QPR), they also play the second-most short passes as well. Together with Michael Carrick, it has given United two different ways to find that penetrative forward pass.

“He allows me to give balance to the team and that is important for a manager who is looking for balance,” said Van Gaal. “I think he has to play higher and higher up and Michael Carrick has to play deeper. I have said a lot of times at press conferences, for example he is a player that gives a solution for beating the pressing of the opponents.”

Fellaini factor

It’s had a transformative effect on United. So much so, in fact, that the team has won 73 per cent of their games with him and only 44 per cent without him. The longest winning run so far under Van Gaal ended when Fellaini was ill and he’s been ever present too in the recent run that encompassed wins over Liverpool and City. Fellaini is one of only four men to start in every game of those two winning runs.

Irony

As a result, it seems unlikely that Fellaini will find himself on the bench, let along expected to remain there, for United’s next visit to Goodison Park this Saturday. So there’s a certain irony that he returns to face an Everton team that have come full circle since his departure. An outfit that had once been reliant on his robust presence now eschew those methods in favour of a short passing game.

“The players we brought in gave us a different approach and we became a more diverse team,” said Everton boss Roberto Martinez of Fellaini’s exit. But while they might have found their diversity by offloading Fellaini, United have discovered it be reincorporating their much-maligned midfielder. After all the criticism, perhaps Marouane Fellaini deserves to return as a success story this weekend.

Credit: Skysports.com